An asteroid almost twice the height of the Shard will pass by Earth on Saturday night, scientists have said.

Asteroid 2000 QW7 is between 300 and 600 metres wide, according to NASA data, but it poses no danger.

The space rock will fly by around three million miles from Earth at 14,361 miles per hour, according to NASA’s jet propulsion laboratory.

It is carefully tracked by space experts, and is expected to pass Earth at around 00.54 BST on Sunday morning.

NASA has been aware of the asteroid since the year 2000 and is confident that it is not a threat.

As it continues to orbit the sun, the asteroid is next expected to pass Earth in October 2038 and the space agency will continue to monitor it to determine whether it may pass closer to us in the future.